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"original and highly accomplished"
****SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY

"not only an exceptional interpreter of the tradition, her own tunes glisten with freshness…dazzling"
****THE IRISH TIMES

Nuala Kennedy is a musician in the broadest sense of the word: composer, session musician, singer, flautist and teacher. She is a vibrant part of Scotland's traditional music scene, having performed with various line-ups at all of Scotland's top traditional music festivals, as well as at many others around the world. She performs a range of traditional and contemporary material from across the Irish and Scottish repertoires, including many of her own compositions.

For her 2007 release on Compass Records entitled The New Shoes, Kennedy has assembled a new band by the same name, and together they have captured a wonderful collection of traditional music with an excitingly fresh feel. The album has been hailed by traditional music pundits around the globe as 'stunning' 'beguiling' 'uplifting' and 'outstanding'. As well as several special guests, the album features the virtuosic talents of Marc Clement (guitar/vocals), Julian Sutton (melodeons) and Claire Mann (fiddle/flute/whistle/vocals).

Born in Dundalk, Co. Louth, Kennedy grew up steeped in the rich history and sound of traditional Irish music of the North-East, where she played in the award winning ceilidh band Ceoltoiri Oga Oghrialla. Kennedy then moved to Scotland where she co-founded the highly recognized trio Fine Friday. As a member of Fine Friday Kennedy toured extensively in support of Gone Dancing (2002) and Mowing the Machair (2004), released on the Scottish 'Footstomping' label, both critically acclaimed albums. Kennedy's 2007 commission 'Astar:Journey' composed for Celtic Connections International Festival in Glasgow was heralded as 'breathtaking' and a 'triumph' by Scotland's national press. It featured an international line-up of musicians from Scotland, the States, and Canada, including composer Oliver Schroer, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Lapp, and singer Will Oldham (also know as Bonnie Prince Billy, the popular American folk-poet and hipster icon).

In August of 2007, Kennedy was was a musician-in-residence at OMI
International Arts Center in New York. There she collaborated with 12 other musicians from around the world to produce two performances of new music in New York City. In October she was commissioned to write a piece of music performed at the 2007 Distil Showcase, which promotes new works by traditional musicians. Nuala was invited with Midge Ure, Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake, Roddy Woomble, Jo Mango, Louise Quinn, L-Marie and Found's Ziggy Campbell to a secret location in Scotland in December to take part in the 2007 Burnsong Songhouse, a pioneering residency to promote new songwriting in Scotland. She is also working on a duo album with cutting-edge composer Oliver Schroer and touring with a new quartet (Mario
Caribe, Troy McGillivray, Luke Daniels) in 2008. When she is not in the
studio or on the road, Kennedy is a much sought-after teacher and she has earned several scholarships and various academic accolades.